Almost Dh1m in bribes to forge residency documents, Dubai court hears

Prosecutors said the Emirati defendant changed the status of 571 people to make it seem they had departed the country when they were still here.

DUBAI // A policeman asked for and accepted almost Dh1 million in bribes for falsifying the departure status of people who had broken residency laws, a court has heard.

Dubai Criminal Court was told between August 2007 and August 2012, the Emirati officer who worked at the detention and deportation section at Dubai Naturalisation and Residency took Dh767,000 in bribes from an Omani man.

In return, he forged 571 applications and saved them on the department’s electronic system.

The officer, 27, is charged with taking bribes, forgery and use of forged documents, but was not present in court to enter a plea.

The court was told he took between Dh1,000 and Dh3,000 for each application and used the username and password of another Emirati, who has been charged with aiding and abetting.

“Not guilty,” said the second defendant, a police corporal, 32.

The Omani, who allegedly paid the bribes, remains at large.

Prosecutors said the defendant changed the status of 571 people to make it seem as if they had departed the country.

A witness said that after the incident came to light he questioned the officer, who confessed to the crime and told him that he and the Omani had a secret code to avoid incriminating each other in text messages.

“He would send the Omani the word ‘bull’ to show that he issued departure permits, and the word ‘sheep’ if he successfully issued a temporary closure of files of some individuals who had violated residency laws,” said the witness.

He said that the second defendant provided his accomplice with his username and password for half the money.

An official letter from the residency department said that the defendants had caused a loss of more than Dh2m in unpaid fees.

It was not clear why the case took more than four years to reach court.

The next hearing will be on February 12.